HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN’T DO
AS NYC ENTERS PHASE 3 OF REOPENING
Customers returned to Chrsite & Co. Salon in the Bay Terrace Shopping Center. Photo by Dean Moses
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | JULY 10-JULY 16, 2020 17
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
The latest milestone in New
York City’s recovery during
the COVID-19 pandemic begins
Monday, July 6, with phase
three of reopening. But unlike
the previous two phases, the
atmosphere for this latest stage
in bringing the five boroughs
back into high gear is one of
trepidation.
Phase three brings the return
of personal care businesses
such as nail salons, massage
parlors, spas, cosmetic surgery
and tanning salons. Those looking
to get a well-deserved manipedi,
full-body rubdown or new
ink after months of quarantine
should get an appointment in
advance, wear a mask and prepare
to encounter a socially
distant environment when they
visit.
The third phase was to have
included the reintroduction of
indoor dining, but on July 1,
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor
Andrew Cuomo scrapped
that plan for the time being.
There’s fear that allowing indoor
dining in New York City
may result in a rapid increase
in COVID-19 spread, something
which occurred in other states
that reopened or relaxed indoor
dining rules in recent weeks.
Though indoor dining remains
out of the question, outdoor
dining continues across
New York City. Restaurants
and bars have set up shop on
the sidewalk or even in the
street in front of their businesses.
On Thursday, de Blasio
announced an expansion of the
Open Streets program to allow
for more businesses to set up
larger street-side cafés to safely
draw in diners.
What can you do?
Regardless of what some
may suggest, the COVID-19
pandemic remains rampant in
the United States — and it’s not
disappearing anytime soon.
After suffering horrific
losses of life in March and
April, New York state and city
now have among the lowest infection
rates in the country. Yet
the fear is that a sudden change
in behavior — combined with
the spike in infections in more
than 30 states — might cause a
second wave of the pandemic
here.
Aside from outdoor dining,
the first three phases of reopening
in New York City permit
a number of other activities,
provided you wear a mask in
public and practice social distancing.
Here’s a list of some other
things you can do in New York
City as phase three goes into effect:
• Work on construction
activities. Building efforts restarted
during the first phase
that began June 8.
• Go shopping. Retailers
started out by setting up curbside
pickup points, but now a
limited number of shoppers can
enter store locations to browse
and purchase items.
• Get a hair cut. If you
haven’t already trimmed the
long quarantine locks, thousands
of barbers across the city
are waiting for you to come in.
All are advised to make an appointment
in advance to avoid
waiting.
• Visit an accountant’s office.
The federal and state tax deadline
was pushed back to July 15
this year due to the pandemic.
Accountants have been taking
appointments for filings.
• Looking to buy a home or
rent an apartment? Real estate
offices reopened during phase
two, and you can contact an
agent to help you find a new
dwelling.
• Likewise, if you’re looking
for a new set of wheels, you can
go shopping at auto dealerships
across the city.
• Playgrounds reopened
during phase two, so if the kids
are getting bored, you can take
them to your local park and let
them run around and play for a
while. We advise bringing hand
sanitizer and/or wipes to keep
their hands clean.
• You can also visit New
York City parks and enjoy a
walk through them, or along
the many open streets established
near the parks for safe
activity.
• Beaches reopened on July
1, so you can relax and enjoy a
day in the sun and surf across
the city. But don’t make it a
group outing, as capacity limits
are in effect.
What you can’t do (yet)
It’s still not clear whether
indoor dining will be permitted
during phase four of reopening
in New York City. No
timetable has been established
for when that milestone will be
achieved.
Phase four is already in effect
in seven upstate regions
of New York, and involves the
limited reopening of higher education
institutions, low-risk
arts/entertainment venues
(e.g. outdoor zoos, botanical
gardens, nature preserves, outdoor
museums, historic sites)
and low-risk indoor museums
and aquariums.
The fourth phase also permits
the resumption of film
and television show production,
and allows for professional
sports to return without an
audience.
The Mets and Yankees,
however, have already begun
training at Citi Field and Yankee
Stadium for the start of an
abbreviated season. Whatever
games they play this year will
not be open to fans; they will be
aired on television or streamed
on the internet, along with other
sporting events.
Many other activities remain
off limits as of phase
three — including shopping
at large malls or going to
movie theaters. And the only
way New York will get there,
as many officials have said
repeatedly, is if New Yorkers
continue to slow and control
the spread.
The best ways to do that
are wearing masks, practicing
social distancing, avoiding
crowds and staying home if
they’re sick.
Reach reporter Robert Pozarycki
by e-mail at rpozarycki@
qns.com or by phone at
(718) 260-4549.
/QNS.COM
link
link
/qns.com
